On Monday July 6th, the Massey Commission announced the formation of the Massey Community Action Network or MCAN.
The Massey Commission formed after Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old unarmed black woman, was shot and killed inside her home by then-Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson in July of 2024. Co-Founder Adam White says MCAN is a community driven organization created to advance the commission’s calls to action. “The (Massey) commission built a framework and a roadmap on how to eliminate barriers and tackle systemic racism. And the organization (MCAN) is taking that vision and putting it into action,” White says.
Among the long term priorities MCAN will champion is the creation of a 24/7 mobile crisis response system, strengthened psychological standards for first responders, and public facing accountability dashboards that will allow residents to monitor the progress of the Commission’s recommendations.
Sonya’s cousin, Sontae Massey spoke to WLDS-WEAI and recounted examples of systemic racism the family experienced since the time of Sonya’s murder and throughout the trial. He said that the verdict just wasn’t enough. “It just wasn’t enough for me, ” Sontae says, “there was a lot of push back when we went into the trial…. His lawyers made it personal with us by turning to us, and talking directly to us while he was being sentenced. The judge had to reprimand his lawyers….The Fraternal Order of Police did their best to cover up things and bury things.” Sontae added that the Massey family was told after the incident that Sonya had actually shot herself.
Grayson filed for early release from his 20 year sentence under the Joe Coleman Act last month. Under the act, a person in custody who is terminally ill could be considered eligible. White says hearing this news was upsetting to the Massey family but strengthened the resolve of the commission. “I think this is another example of systemic racism rearing its head in our justice system,” White says, “Why does this individual feel after he was convicted of murder that he should be released!? We had to fight so hard just to get him convicted of 2nd degree murder.”
White added that appeals in any case are normal but it was the language used by Grayson’s lawyers that he took umbrage with. “Trying to wash over what he did and get you to say ‘poor me, I have cancer but I should be able to live out my life not incarceration,’ that same treatment was not afforded to Sonya.”
White says they are always looking for volunteers to help with their mission. More information on the Massey Commission and MCAN can be found at Massey Commission Home Page.